Breakfast Revelations
by Vincezra McQuestion
Summary: Garnet shares a secret with Pearl after they learn about Rose's sword.


**This is for the first Pearlnet Bomb prompt, "Secrets". Set during and a little after Rose's Scabbard.**

 **I don't own any of the characters.**

Rose often withheld information from her friends, and everyone knew it. Everyone also knew she entrusted many of her secrets to Pearl, her faithful and loyal knight. She didn't tell her everything. There were secrets even her sweet friend couldn't handle. Still, the servant-turned-knight took pride in knowing her leader trusted her. She believed that as Rose's confidant the pink-haired leader of the rebellion told her everything: all her thoughts, feelings, and secrets. Once, Garnet had told Rose that letting Pearl believe that would hurt her more when she found out the truth.

That made it harder to watch the day it happened. Seeing Steven pull Rose's sword from Lion's mane was a shock, but the pink color of the beast obviously connected it to Rose. Pearl was getting upset, shouting that she would have known if Rose had had a lion. "Rose kept many secrets, even from us." The look of hurt and betrayal that crossed Pearl's face made Garnet feel as if she'd been stabbed with their former leader's sword.

Denial quickly replaced the hurt, Pearl desperately claiming that Rose told her everything. Then she and Amethyst were yelling at each. Steven tried to offer a reason his mom would hide anything from her, but Pearl didn't want to hear it. She wanted to cling to the belief she'd had for so long: that Rose trusted her more than anyone. She didn't truly mean what she said next. "What do you know? You don't even know her!" Her fist slammed into the wall with such force it knocked the portrait of Rose Quartz down. Her eyes grew almost impossibly wide as she watched it fall.

Garnet caught it, glad for the excuse to keep her back to the others while she put the painting back in its place. It hurt more than she thought. This is what she warned Rose about. Maybe, Garnet thought, this wouldn't have happened. She shrugged when Steven asked if she knew where Pearl went. She did. Pearl had gone to the strawberry battlefield, where she had so many memories of Rose to cherish. Steven left on Lion leaving the leader standing in the too-silent house.

It was early morning when they returned. The sky had starting turning a lighter blue while seagulls cried out over the ocean. Steven grinned at her, his short arms wrapping around her waist as he hugged her. Pearl stood nervously by the warp pad holding Rose's banner. One of her eyebrows rose at the sight of the relic though the others couldn't see it. She gave Steven a smile while he went to the kitchen to fix breakfast. "Good morning, Garnet!"

"Good morning, Steven. Good morning, Pearl." Pearl's cheeks flushed a lovely shade of blue.

"Ah, good morning, Garnet. Have you been out here all night?" She glanced at the couch she sat on tentatively. Garnet shook her head; she'd checked on Amethyst a few times over the night. The purple Gem had told her very loudly what she thought about what had happened. Last time she'd checked, the shapeshifter was sprawled sound asleep on a pile of junk in her room. "Oh, well alright then." She followed Steven into the kitchen, running water to wash the dishes with. She set Rose's banner on the counter by the boy with care.

Moments passed by with Steven talking between bites, his animated voice filling the room as he regaled Garnet with episodes of his favorite TV show. Eventually he finished his food, running up to his bed for a nap before he went to visit his dad. Pearl gathered his plate and utensils, washing them, and waited for Garnet to say something about yesterday. She winced when she remembered how she acted. She would have to apologize to Amethyst later. "Pearl."

"Yes, Garnet?" Pearl dried her hands off before turning to face her teammate.

The fusion checked that Steven was sleeping before continuing. "I want to tell you a secret I've had for a long time." A cautious hope lit Pearl's eyes urging her to trust her. "I love you, and have for a long time. I just wanted you to know."

"Garnet, I'm not sure if I love you like that. I don't know how I feel right now." Pearl answered hugging herself. "It feels like Rose left us only yesterday sometimes…I'm not ready to move on yet."

"I respect that. You deserved to know, and I'll be here for you either way. We'll always be friends, Pearl. That won't change." Garnet said. She had seen this as a possibility, and was glad this was future that played out instead of one where Pearl outright rejected her. The knight smiled at her. Pearl hugged her happy that her friend understood her need for time. In many ways she did love Garnet, but she still clung to Rose's memory. It wouldn't be fair to the taller Gem if all her thoughts were on someone else. If the day came where she could let Rose go and move on, she'd give Garnet her answer then. Until that time, she'd cherish the knowledge she was loved.


End file.
